


Clarity

by MalcolmReynolds



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fluff, Lukanette, Post NYC special, based on art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27557332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmReynolds/pseuds/MalcolmReynolds
Summary: Marinette gains the clarity that she needs in NYC, and wonders how she could have missed the obvious all along.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 15
Kudos: 114





	Clarity

**Author's Note:**

> This is a birthday present for the incredibly talented LadyFreya123, a story based on one of her [pictures ](https://ladyfreya123.tumblr.com/post/632808517436358656/marinette-comes-back-from-new-york-and-greets-luka). If you haven't seen her work, go check her out... she is so talented!
> 
> Happy Birthday, Freya!!!

Marinette had to do something. She was hurt that her friends (well, some of them) didn’t want to give up the dream of seeing Marinette with Adrien, even though she, herself, was so tired of being his “good friend.” She had been spending a lot of time with Kitty Section over the past few months, and her thoughts had started turning to Luka more often than Adrien. She knew that he had a crush on her, and she’d been honest with him about her feelings: she was very attracted to him, but did not want to start anything while still hung up on Adrien.

Luka had understood, and given her all the time and space that she needed. He never nagged or pressed, and seemed to enjoy just spending time together. When she missed the bus that would take them to the airport on their school trip to New York, Marinette despaired, but Luka, who had just dropped Juleka off, had offered to help her try and catch the bus. Her heart was singing as he managed to catch up to the rest of the class. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he gave her a blessing for clarity.

The world started conspiring against her the moment she stepped onto the plane. Her seat was next to the boy she was trying to stop thinking about, and Alya seemed unwilling to believe that Marinette was desperately trying to let go of her feelings. Throughout the trip, Marinette was thrown into more and more ridiculous scenarios with Adrien and she was just so done with it. On the plane trip home, Marinette sat with Kim and Alix, laughing at their ridiculous games of one-upmanship that they were playing. 

Stepping off of the plane, Marinette had found the clarity that she sought, she just needed the world to know it. The class had taken an overnight flight, and the sun was just rising over Paris as the class, yawning, stumbled through customs, and out into the morning light. Marinette thought he was a dream at first, standing off to the side of the group of parents, backlit in orange, but when Luka pushed off the wall and smiled sleepily at her, Marinette dropped her suitcase and ran to him. She launched herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, causing him to stagger slightly as he caught her, surprised, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her mouth to his, Luka stopped thinking all together. 

One of Marinette’s hands made its way into his hair, and Luka wrapped his arms around her, just holding on. Marinette broke the kiss, her cheeks tinting pink. “I-I’m sorry, Luka, I should have asked, I just…” She was cut off when Luka pressed his mouth back to hers, her words turning into a whine as they clung to each other. 

Jerking back sharply, Luka cursed under his breath as Juleka walked past after having smacked his shoulder. “Quit being gross,” she mumbled as she turned away from them and looked back at Rose, rolling her eyes. A throat clearing behind Marinette had Luka setting her back on the ground, as Marinette blushed and Luka looked nervously up at her father. 

Tom’s frown turned quickly into a smile as he placed a hand on Luka's shoulder, causing the smaller man to stagger for the second time in as many minutes, but whether it was a threat, or just enthusiasm, Luka wasn't sure. The big man easily hefted Marinette's suitcase after hugging his daughter. "Don't be too long," he told her with a wink. "We missed you, too."

Sabine pulled him away, shooting Marinette a 'we'll talk later' look as Luka's hand settled at her waist, Marinette's head resting against his chest. Momentarily alone, Luka chuckled softly, Marinette feeling the rumble in his chest rather than hearing the sound. She turned around to face him, suddenly shy, her smile growing as she saw Luka beaming down at her. "It looks like you found that clarity you were looking for."

A darker pink bloomed on her cheeks, and Marinette nodded. "Everything seemed to be conspiring against me, but that wasn't the thing that did it. There were so many beautiful things and so many interesting ones, but all I could think of was sharing them with you. Luka, you are the one I want to be with." Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, and Luka softly pressed his lips to hers once again. 

Once again, it was a figure behind Marinette that made them separate, but this time, their eyes weren’t focused on Luka, but on Marinette. “I am so sorry, girl. I know you said you were moving on, but I thought you meant you were giving up on a dream, not that you’d found a different one.” Alya smiled ruefully at Marinette. “I’d like to think you’d tell me that you have a boyfriend.”

“But I don’t!” Marinette protested, glancing behind her at Luka, “Do I?”

He chuckled again. “If you’ll have me, although I would like to take you out on a date first.”

Marinette nodded eagerly, and Alya laughed. “Anyway, I am sorry for not following your wishes. I haven’t been a good friend to you this past week.”

Stepping from Luka’s loose grasp around her waist, she walked over to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her. “Thank you for doing what you thought was right, but next time, trust me to know my own heart.”

Alya promised, then demanded details later, as she made her way over to her father. 

Turning back to Luka, Marinette smiled up at him. “Do you really want to go on a date with me?”

Reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Luka just kept smiling his besotted smile at her. “Is this afternoon too soon? I don’t want to rush you into anything.”

It was Marinette’s turn to look slightly exasperated. “You’ve been nothing but wonderful. Call me when you get home from school. I think I’m going home to sleep. _We_ get the day off.” She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, before pushing up on her toes for one more quick kiss. The squeal that had Marinette muffling her giggles in Luka’s shirt could only have come from Rose. Juleka’s subsequent grumble had the pair of them snorting.

“I’ll see you later, Marinette.” Luka hadn’t stopped smiling since Marinette’s surprisingly enthusiastic greeting, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop anytime in the foreseeable future. Luka practically floated to school, leaving his mother to take Juleka and Rose back to the Liberty on her own. 

He hadn’t shown up at the airport with any kind of expectation, except to help his mum with Juleka and Rose’s suitcases. He’d hoped to see Marinette, and maybe speak to her, but beyond that, he knew that she’d been torn, and while he wished for her to see him the same way he saw her, he had no intention of pressuring her. What had actually happened had defied even his wildest dreams, and he had to keep pinching himself to make sure it was actually reality.

Normally an excellent, if somewhat distractible student at Lycee Paul-Valery, Luka spent that day continually being reminded to pay attention. He didn’t share why he was continually distracted, not even with his best friend, who was usually persistent enough to wear Luka down. 

As school let out, there was a commotion by the front steps. A couple of guys were trying to talk to someone at the bottom of the steps, someone who was less than interested in talking to them. Frowning, Luka headed towards them, never afraid to jump in to help out, when he caught sight of a dark pigtail tied with a red ribbon, and his heart stopped. She must have spotted him at the same moment, because she turned from the guys, smile absolutely radiant, and started up the steps towards him. 

One of the guys reached out and grabbed her wrist, and Luka must have blinked, because Marinette was turning back to face him, and the guy was on the ground. Her smile hadn’t faltered, and then she was in his arms. He lifted her to the step above him so he could kiss her properly, if chastely, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Are you alright?” Luka whispered, his lips just brushing the shell of her ear. 

“I am now.” Marinette slipped her hand into his as they walked together back towards the Liberty, each lost in their own thoughts, stealing glances at each other and smiling.


End file.
